August 31st, 2023
At least the results of the IARU Region 1 HAMChallenge have been announced. So Mathias, DH4FAJ and I are happy to be the winner of Challenge#2 with our idea about SPB144, a Special Beacon Project on 144 MHz.
June 8th, 2023
It seemed, last weeks openings, brought to us by high pressure area Wiola, had been coming to an end, but at least it was back again.
After finding a simple fault in my IC-9700 I was able to receive as usual and worked stations from Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark. I heard SM7DTT calling CQ and working some stations from UK, but he didn´t copy me. Around midnight it calmed down and PA2M on 70 cm was the last QSO.
The early morning started with Germany again and Sweden was there as well and could be worked even on 70 cm. ODX on 2 m was SM6LPF in JO78CK over 1555 km, on 70 cm SM6VTZ, JO58IJ, over 1412 km followed by SM6CEN, JO67AJ over 1409 km. But the fulminant final was brought to me by Kjeld, OZ1FF, with a QSO on 23 cm. It took a lot of patience, but at least we did it.
Thank you Kjeld!
As in the previous openings I kept an eye on 144.300 MHz, called there a couple of times in SSB, but no sign of live in analogous modes. So all QSOs were done in FT8.
NB: QSOs on 2 m in green, on 70 cm in blue and on 23 cm in red.
Addendum:
Tonight Brian, OZ7SKY, requested a FT8 sked for 70 cm in the ON4KST chat. I was pretty sure, the condx were completely gone here in the west of Ireland. But I am used to give even the crazy things a chance and as the computer is doing the job, I agreed and could decode hin at once. During the first twenty minutes we had no more, than an nice chat on KST and me telling him the level I received him. The deep QSB on his signal was between -20 and -06, when he got my report and another 15 minutes later the relief: My RRRs.
While I am writing this, my PC decodes signals of OZ2OE and OZ4VW at low levels on 70 cm. As some CQs on 2 m, after working two GMs, didn´t find any takers, I closed down the station now.
Conclusions:
Never say no to a sked request
and
NEVER BLAME A HIGH PRESSURE AREA WITH A FEMALE NAME!
June 3rd, 2023
In Spring 2022 I installed a new antenna system for 2 m, 70 cm and 23 cm at my second home in Ireland. In the last days I could experience a long duration tropospheric opening to the continent.
On May 23rd I noticed a large ducting area to the north, shown in the Hepburn Tropo Index. Not really expecting something, I turned the antenna northwards and was surprised to hear OY6BEC in IP62mb over 958 km with 529 on 2 m. It could be monitored most of the time until June, 2nd. Even on 70 cm it could be heard from time to time, but nothing on 23 cm, even when it peaked up to S9+20 dB on 2 m on May 28th. I contacted Regin, QY1R and Trygvi, QY4TN, for skeds on 2 m, but unfortunately no signals could be detected. The two stations are quite close to sea level and the beacon is located on Mt. Sornfelli, 745 m asl.
From May 13th to May 28th I had a couple of contacts in the range, aircraft scatter allows. Beside the 2 m QSOs (green), I had some on 70cm (blue) as well. I worked the local lads on 23 cm (red) and had a QSO with Martin, GM8IEM, as I had promised him to arrange a sked, as soon as 23 cm is up and running. On May 26th a short Es opening happend and I could work Paolo, IK7UXW, with whom I had a couple of QSOs and tests from home in Mainz on 23 and 13 cm via a combination of tropo and aircraft scatter propagation in the past.
On May 29th the reach extended by tropo to the costal area from northern France to the west of Germany. ODX of the day was Günter, DG6JF/P, over 1105 km.
As the propagation conditions went to normal for me on May 30th, the next day, May 31st, startet with QSOs to Denmark on 2 m (green) and 70 cm (blue). Around noon the duct extended to the very north of Germany. ODX of the day was Oliver, DH8BQA, JO73ce over 1559 km. The duct seemed to be very narrow, as Chris, SM6VTZ, and Steffen, DD0VF, could only be worked via meteor scatter (yellow).
The duct moved southwards on June 1st with many stations from Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. no more DX contacts were made on 70 cm, just the 2 m band was open for me. ODX of the day was Uwe, DL4DWA, over 1559 km, followed by Peter , DL3JIN over 1542 km.
And again the duct moved southwards on June 2nd and calmed down around noon. ODX of the day was Gerhard, DK1FG, over 1459 km with an outstanding signal, just, as I am used to, when QRV at home in Germany.
Fun fact: When I turned my antenna to the north in the early morning of June 2nd, OY6BEC over 980 km was still there. Turning the antenna to the east, I could hear DB0HRF, JO40ff, over 1276 km. It is located on the Feldberg, as close to my German home, that I can see the mountain out of the window of my shack.
February 6th, 2023
Phil, FR5DN, is running an experimental beacon on 144.245 MHz beaming to the eastern Mediterranean Sea. It is located on the island of Reunion in LG78qs. The antenna is a 13 dB yagi, horizontal polarized at 7 m above ground, running 80 W. He will operate it in CW, when he is at home, mainly from 16:00 to 18:30 UTC.
The operation will be announced on DX Summit and in the ON4KST chat. As he transmits continuously, feedback may be sent in the chat or via his email address on QRZ.com.
He already tried years ago, but got inspired by the TEP events that happened recently in South America and hopes for monitors in Europe to gather some experience in this propagation mode.
August 2nd, 2022
As the Hepburn Tropo Index predicted some ducting over northern Germany and the Baltic Sea for todays morning, I checked the beacons on 23 cm. DB0VC, JO54if, 509 km, was strong on 23 cm as well as on 13 cm, but nothing on 3 cm. I went on with the OZ and LA beacons and found OZ5SHF, JO45vx, 685 km and LB2SHF, JO48ad,917 km, with booming signals. Unfortunately there was no one QRV in Scandinavia.
Then I called in FT8 on 2 m and got some response from Denmark and Northern Germany. Surprisingly I got called by UA2FBW, KO04ir, 1002 km and much more surprised I have been, when I saw in the DX cluster, that EA5GJ, JM97jw, spottet me as well at the time, I worked Igor. Might have received me by some Es or MS, while beaming northeast.
With the rising sun the beacon signals on 23 cm became weaker and weaker and disappereared at least. The same happened to the DX stations on 2 m.
QSOs on 2 m in green, all in FT8. Received beacons on 23 cm shown in red.
June 4th, 2022
When going to Ireland in May, I went with a trailer and could take a pneumatic mast and some antenna stuff with me. So I setup a 2 x 7 elemt yagi for 2 m, a 15 element yagi for 70 cm and a 67 element yagi for 23 cm. The rotator is a Spid BIG-RAS/HR, so elevation is possible as well. There are SHF-Electronic LNAs at each antenna and Gemini linears with 200 to 300 W driven by an IC-9700.
On 2 m I could log a couple of QSOs in FT8 (blue) and SSB (green) so far and have been lucky to use some tropo to France on May 27th and 28th (F6DBI, IN88ij, 716 km and F8BON, IN86wv, 903 km) and Spain on May 28th (EC2BBS, IN93bi, 1262 km).
February 7th, 2022
Today I had a talk about Aircraft Scatter with Michael, OE1CMW, who recorded it to produce a podcast for his series “ON AIR – Amateurfunk D-A-CH“. As it´s in german language, I keep this post in german.
Heute habe ich mit Michael, OE1CMW, über Aircraft Scatter gesprochen. Michael hat das Gespräch für seine Podcast-Reihe “ON AIR – Amateurfunk D-A-CH” aufgezeichnet.
In meinem Blog finden sich viele Beispiele zu QSOs und Bakenbeobachtungen als Anregung für eigene Aktivitäten. Unter dem Menü-Punkt “Aircraft Scatter” habe ich die QSO-Prozedur ausführlich beschrieben. Das Programm AirScout von Frank, DL2ALF, gibt es als Download für das Betriebssystem Windows.
Wenn man Baken beobachten will, sollte man WideGraph von WSJT-X mitlaufen lassen, dann kann man auch schwächste Signalspuren sichtbar machen und auch die Doppler-Verschiebung sehr gut visualisieren.
F5ZBM in Sendeart F1
January 15th, 2022
IARU officials are working hard to defend restrictions to or, in worst case, the loss of the 23 cm amateur band. Barry, G4SJH, just posted a document about the forthcoming in the certain hearings.
January 14th, 2022
F5ZNI on 13 cm in JN19BQ, 440 km away, is a good indicator for troposheric duting to the west. Drifting up and down, it is transmitting just a little below GPS locked DB0UX in JN48FX, just 105 km to the south.
This is, how it usually looks, when I monitor F5ZNI on about 2320.899 MHz. DB0UX to the right with space 800 Hz lower. F5ZNI about 1250 Hz lower with space 500 Hz up.
Tonight DB0UX appeared a little different, somehow screwing through the waterfall display.
What happened?
Well, there is a windmill in 500 m from my QTH a little north of the path to F5ZNI and the wind raised to blow with 6 km/h from NE ……
December 21st, 2021
The QSO BANAT Association organizes FT8 Activity Contests every 1st and 2nd Wednesday each month on 2 m and 70 cm. From 2022 on they added a 23 cm Activity Contest on the 3rd Wednesday. In respect, that FT8 is not useful with propagation modes like aircraft scatter on this band due to the doppler effect, it is open for the use of ISCAT, JT65, JT6m, JT8f, JTMS and MSK144 as well.